- Previous story: Dexter residents taking sides about whether to become a city
Voters will go to the polls Tuesday, May 7 to decide whether the village of Dexter should continue down the path to cityhood.
It’s the first time residents there have had the chance to express their preference on cityhood through an election.
Jim Smith, who formed the Committee to Keep Dexter a Village, said he believes that’s an opportunity residents welcome.
“Throughout the whole process there has been nothing that people could say that would have stopped them from doing this,” Smith said. "This is our first opportunity to say 'OK we want you to know how we feel.' People feel like ‘Yeah it’s time to vote on this.’ ”
Cityhood proponents say the village of Dexter already provides its core services and could reduce costs of paying for elections and assessing by $225,000 while eliminating a layer of government. Scio and Webster Townships currently provide those services.
A yard sign urging residents to vote against cityhood in Dexter.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
Smith said remaining a village and township would help retain a small-town feel and sense of community. He said the village pays relatively little in taxes to the townships and government wouldn’t be as simplified as proponents suggest.
Residents AnnArbor.com spoke with in downtown Dexter almost all expressed two of the same thoughts when weighing in on the proposal. They feared cityhood would lead to growth that would “turn Dexter into Ann Arbor”, and they said they didn’t hear clear reasons from proponents on why cityhood is a good idea.
Those who said they didn't have information said they favored not changing anything if they couldn’t find a good reason for cityhood.
“I’m not up to key with the benefits of becoming a city instead of staying a village,” said Peter Theocharakis, owner of Dexter's Pub. But he added he doesn’t feel strongly against it.
The Committee To Keep Dexter a Village has been meeting weekly at the Foggy Bottom Coffee Shop and held several other meetings in the community. Smith said the group's message has been well received.
“A lot of people are very happy that we’re telling the other side of story,” he said. “We seem to have gathered a lot of support. We figure there is a very quiet, silent majority of people who want to stay a village.
“I feel very good about the amount of support we’ve gotten,” he said.
But Village President Shawn Keough said he has heard strong support for continuing the process to cityhood.
If the yes vote wins on May 7, the Boundary Commission orders that an election be held to elect a Charter Commission, a nine-member group who will write the governing document for the new city. That election could take place as soon as November 2013.
That document must then be approved by the Michigan attorney general, after which voters in Dexter would vote on whether to accept the document. If Dexter voters approved the document, the village would officially become a city.
Keuogh said the “vast majority” of residents he spoke with about the issue during his re-election campaign in the fall supported taking the next step to cityhood. He said he has also been speaking to a variety of community groups, and added that the village has information on its website and has sent out mailers.
Keough said the drafting and reviewing of a city charter is the portion of the cityhood process during which residents get to participate most and would provide a chance for residents to compare being a city and village side by side.
“If they vote no, they don’t get to see that part of the process,” he said. “I would encourage people to be open minded to let that process play out. We’ve invested a lot of time and a little bit of money to have a great opportunity in front of us. To say no now - it seems like the wrong time.”
Resident Karen Wilson said she wasn’t totally sold on cityhood, but said she felt strong enough about examining a city charter that she would vote yes on May 7.
“There’s no reason not take a closer look after this much work has been done on it,” she said.
The cityhood process began in 2006.
But Mill Creek Sports Center owner Ray Croske said he feared that the change would lead to bigger government and municipal growth.
“I’m anti-big government and don’t see any advantages to becoming a city,” he said. “Large government tends to waste money and screw things up, so I just don’t see an advantage."
“We’re perfectly happy the way we are,” Croske added.
Read the full ballot language on the county's website.
Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter. Contact the AnnArbor.com news desk at news@annarbor.com.